Friday, February 28, 2014

Cleary
for the past 50 years America’s Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) have set the
preeminent example on how to grow a retail restaurant brand. Companies the ilk
of McDonald’s, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), Domino’s Pizza each have had
enormous success within the QSR sector and the world.

Despite
increased competition from imitators it has been the new non-traditional fresh
food outlets selling fresh prepared branded food that has garnered the
attention of customers particularly Millennials that seemly stumped, stifled,
stilled customer count growth within the QSR and restaurant sector for some
time.

Don’t
count those legacy QSR leaders out.
Industry icon and global restaurant leader McDonald’s is expanding its
burger customization testing. The
customization of burgers is an incremental step for McDonalds. They previously found success in with
customization within the beverage sector with McCafe’ they will find additional
success with the burger test as well.

Convenience
stores and grocery store delis are capturing a larger share of fast-casual
dining occasions and many QSR dining occasions. Companies the ilk of Sheetz,
Rutter’s QuickChek, Wegmans, HEB, and Whole Foods have found a way to imitate
restaurants in menu options, better them in price, and provide equal food
quality in the minds-eye of the consumer.
Yet, they have not been able to replace the halo of goodwill established
by legacy QSR’s brands in the minds-eye of the consumer.

McDonald’s
understands that the consumer is dynamic not static. McDonald’s is dynamic as well. The burger customization program will be a
success, an incremental success. Watch
for more and more innovation in the form of Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh
prepared food options from McDonald’s complementing the evolving consumer. With
14,000 locations McDonalds can never be counted out.

Is your brand evolving
with consumers? Foodservice Solutions® specialty is the the Ready-2-Eat and
Heat-N-Eat Fresh Prepared Food niche aka the Grocerant niche. www.FoodserviceSolutions.us We can help you identify, quantify and
qualify additional food retail segment opportunities.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

QuickChek’s fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat
and Heat-N-Eat food has driven customer satisfaction numbers up year after
year. The fresh prepared food offerings have been so successful that their
Signature Subs and Wraps have created a platform for off premise catering success.

With a goal to continue to meet the
demand of the fast evolving consumer QuickChek is introducing new snacking menu
items. The snacking menu includes a
classic favorites some with a new twist including the new Cheeseburger Egg Roll
to its fresh snacks menu. “The crispy egg-roll shell loaded with cheeseburger
filling is designed to be a satisfying, flavorful, on-the-go option for the
convenience store chain's customers.”

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Success does
leave clues and East Coast regional convenience store chain Wawa has long
established its self as an AM daypart food leader. Each year Wawa sells over
195 Million cups of coffee the vast majority during the AM daypart. Wawa offers fresh prepared breakfast
offerings and impulse seasonal breakfast snack offerings that consumers bundle
into customized breakfast. The menu
components contribute to driving growing customer counts and incremental sales
year over year at Wawa. Yum brands Taco
Bell will not diminish Wawa’s bundled meal offerings during the AM daypart for
many years to come.

McDonald’s with
more than 14,000 restaurants across the United States has for several years
offered any size coffee for $1.00. No
other restaurant company in the world is better at offering bundled meal
solutions day in and day out like McDonalds.
The ability of McDonald’s to bundled proven branded legacy offering meal
components with coffee will create competitive price points that will stifle
Yum Brands Taco Bell franchisee from realizing sustained incremental profits
for at minimum three years.

7 Eleven’s
fresh prepared food offerings have fueled both new stores sales growth and same
store sales growth. Always competitively priced 7 Eleven has found success with
Millennials in trial and positive discovery of breakfast and meal component
offerings. Here again 7 Eleven has twice
as many locations in the United Sates as does Taco Bell. Pricing and continued Millennial trial and
discovery will benefit 7 Eleven while diminishing the long term financial
stability of Taco Bell’s breakfast.

Taco Bells
franchisee will harbor the long term cost of Yum Brands, Taco Bell nationwide
breakfast rollout. Yum Brands will see
incremental sales bump from the trial and garner incremental franchisee
revenue. The Waffle Taco and the Crunchwrap will have a hard go against
McDonald’s Wawa, and 7 Eleven.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

When Alvin C. Copland Sr. opened “Chicken On the Run” forty
years ago with poor sales, then rebranded it and named it after Popeye Doyle in
the popular movie “The Fresh Connection”
Popeye’s would anyone in the food
industry think that Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen as it is known today would have
all other chicken brands On the Run.

If success leaves clues Popeye’s continued evolving year
after year today it is growing faster with better margins and positive
customers counts in both international markets and domestic markets. Nations Restaurant News tracking of recent
Same Store Sales reports Popeye’s both domestic and international growth at 5.1
percent.

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru credits much of
Popeye’s success on that continues brand evolution. Specifically the introduction
of it’s Whole Deep Fried Turkey Dinner focus for holidays back in 1999 thru
2001. The Better for You Halo of
“Holiday”, “Traditions” and Family combined to garner extended brand value.

What Popeye’s is doing seemingly better than i’s competitors
is creating integrating new menu products with messaging that is Understandable, Memorable, and Emotionally connected
with consumers. The Whole Turkey Holiday
promotion is just one example.

Much like that old cheerleader song 2, 4, 6, 8 who do we
appreciate. Popeye’s catering 20, 40, 60, 80 family, friends, reunions, and
office parties is extending the Halo of the brand once again. Combine that with
successful full flavored new menu items like Rip’n Chick’n and Dip’n Chick’n and everyone can understand the continued
success.

Popeye’s chicken has carved out a great position within the
grocerant niche. Don’t cook tonight,
call catering or order your next holiday meal.
No cooking, no clean-up, no problem.
Popeye’s is

Understandable,
Memorable connecting Emotionally with customers.

Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
if you are interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food
Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for
consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization www.FoodserviceSolutions.us

Monday, February 24, 2014

If you
build it they will come. Chain
restaurant after chain restaurant for the past 30 years have targeted 18 to 34
year old's who in the past were the most frequent guest and most eligible to
become brand loyal.

Times
they have changed. The U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics reports that “unemployment has hit younger people hard:
Younger adults are more than twice as likely as those 55 and older to be
unemployed”. Without a steady flow of disposal income it becomes difficult to
frequent restaurants.

The
NPD Group found in a recent study that in U.S. ,”people older than 49 are eating out more
than younger diners” makes sense much more consistent flow of disposal income.
The same study confirmed with the Bureau of Labor Statistic found that “unemployment
has hit younger people hard”.

The NPD study found since 2008 there has been a 12
percent dip in the number of nights that younger consumers are eating out a
year. On the other hand older baby boomers and "mature
traditionalists," the generation ahead of the boomers, upped their
restaurant visits by about 6 percent”.

The Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food
sector has been attracting all age groups seeking time saving alternative or
money saving alternative. Many restaurants have begun selling Ready-2-Eat and
Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meal component options that can be bundled and sold
so customers can go home a customize a family meal. In fact today The National
Restaurant Association says boomers and older diners make excellent regulars.

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you
identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment and product opportunities.
Do you need a marketing integration strategy session? www.FoodserviceSolutions.us of Tacoma WA is the global
leader in the Grocerant niche since 1991

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Restaurant customer migration continues to eat away at top
line growth and bottom line profits for chain restaurants. Since 2009 the
economic turmoil, malaise, or quagmire has been to blame if one were to listen
to earnings conference calls conducted by many major chains.

The truth is consumers are not eating any less today than
they did in 2009. They are in fact eating somewhere else. The restaurant
industry overall has been stagnating since even before the recession, according
to Harry Balzer of The NPD Group. In
2000, the average American ate out 215 times a year. Last year, that number
shrank to 192 visits a year as reported by NPD.

Many chain leaders justified, and rationalize why they are
not adapting to the consumers shifting preferences quicker, blaming missteps on
a slow global recovery, the weather. Of late they are the same ones claiming
victory when in fact price increases provided top line growth all the while
year over year customer counts were down or continue trending down.

Might it be that the customer has changed? Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru
favorite saying is the “consumers are dynamic not static” simple enough, but
why. Brands must be dynamic, reposition
or risk becoming non-relevant to consumers. Even worse some brands could become
extinct.

Think about Sbarro. Last week Sbarro announced they were
closing 155 units. We know that mall
traffic has been declined for the past five years. This past Christmas it was reported that mall
traffic was down 15%. If you are a
restaurant on a pad outside a mall how did you fare? If you’re restaurant was
in the food court how did you fare? Now after thinking about Sbarro, think
Burger Chef. How are you evolving?

Is your restaurant chain still selling the same food in the
same way? Maybe you should consider
product mix adjustments, brand repositioning, or new products all together. Who
are your customers and where else are they eating. Consumers are not eating any less. They are eating somewhere else. The consumer
is on the move. Is your brand?

How are consumers evolving?
Here are three key’s we think are important:

1.The U.S Census reports that 50% of U.S. adults over the age
of 18 are single

2.The Brookings Institute has reported that Americans are
moving into cities at a prodigious rate not seen in over a century. Urbanization changes shopping habits
–consumers buy fewer items, more and often.
Further, these urbanites find hyper-local, smaller footprint retailers
convenient and appealing.

3.The Pew Foundation reports that since 1970, every year has
set a new record LOW for marriages. Consider how we have changed in the last 50
years. In 1960, nearly 60% of young
adults (ages 18-29) were married, compared to only 20% today.

When a chain restaurant brand is not Understandable,
not Memorable or not connected Emotionally with consumers today, that’s when you know your brand
is more like yesterday than tomorrow. Is your brand evolving with consumers? Does your company, brand, or franchisor need
outside eye’s to drive inside profits?

Visit:
www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand
while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or
learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson,
Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant

Saturday, February 22, 2014

National brands continue to advertise their value
all the while paying slotting fee’ to their competitors? Is it just me or does
that sound like a business model in need of repair? Today Grocery store shoppers can save up 38% buying
store brands a new study found. If
we all harkin back to the days when grocery stores introduced private label
products we can remember the poor quality, poor packaging and pricing that
drove trial. That was it. Ah how times have changed.

The
recent economic malaise may have been one of the driving factors in trial of
new private label products. The other might have been positive consumer
response to Trader Joe’s unique private label products and industry leading
sales per square foot $1,750+.

In
a new study grocery store prices by Private Label Manufacturers Association
(PLMA) reveals “shoppers on average could save 38% off their grocery bill
by filling their winter shopping cart with the retailer’s store brands
instead of their national brand counterparts.”

Trader
Joe’s changed my mind on private label products. When Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru
conducted recent research on Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared products
they found 74% of consumer could name a specific companies proprietary fresh
prepared food by entity and specific identity if the retailer had branded fresh
food products as well.

Today
it appears that price, quality and branding issues are lessening for private
label product both CPG and fresh prepared.
What was once considered private label aka Trader Joe’s and i’s ilk is
now consider branded in the minds-eye of the consumer. The battle it appears to be for share of
stomach of fresh vs canned. Private
label branding of fresh prepared food works.
How many of you have had a 7 Eleven Slurpee? That’s branded fresh food success since 1965!

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us specializes in outsourced business
development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food
retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.
Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global
leader in the Grocerant niche since 1991

Friday, February 21, 2014

James Hodges,
President and CEO of American Meat Institute (AMI) when speaking on a new study
released by AMI Power of Meat that “the number
of home-cooked meals containing meat or poultry increased slightly from 3.6 to
3.8 dinners per week

The same study found that the
consumption of Heat-N-Eat and Ready-2-Eat items also increased. Edifying
previous research conducted by Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru the AMI
study found that “one-third of shoppers undecided whether they will cook or eat
out as little as two hours out from dinner time,”

Is your brand
positioned to capture customers in the critical “What’s for Dinner Decision
Hour”? Are you selling bundled meals or meal component options that can be
customized or personalized in to a perfect family meal?

Today meal
component assembly trumps cooking from scratch. Enabling consumer choice in
bundling meal components with valued time saving Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat
fresh prepared food drives top line growth and bottom line profits in every sector
of fresh food retail today. The ability for personalized, customized and
authentic flavor meal components have become an integral part of the meal time
experience today.

Foodservice
Solution® research found that at 1PM 81 percent of consumers did not know
what’s for dinner and at 4PM 63 percent still did not know what’s for
dinner. The Power of Meat study suggest
that if you want to capture share you just may want to focus on meat.

Visit:
www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand
while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or
twitter.com/grocerant

Thursday, February 20, 2014

As long as multi-generational family's gather for meals together, the
demand for more divergent flavors continues to permeate. Grocerant mix and
match bundled meal component offerings allow for increased family integration,
understanding and acceptance in less time without a required cook from scratch
skill set.

In the 1940's cooking from scratch was the normal. The average home cooked
meal took 150 minutes to prepare. Everyone sat down at the table and enjoyed it
or not but they all ate the same thing. Today's "home cooked meal"
takes on average less than 30 minutes to prepared. In most cases at least two
different entrées are served.

The average time spent inside a McDonalds in the 2,000 was 11 minutes.
Today 65+ percent of all McDonald's food is sold via the drive-thru. U.S.
fast-food chains are increasingly remodeling restaurants in an effort to garner
additional drive-thru customers inside and increase sales, simple because the
drive-thru can't hold all the cars.

Walgreens is creating and bundling
distinctive differentiated food consumable's as an entity
with identity by day part in a mix and match meal component format in
select urban setting targeted at both the office worker for lunch and meal
components for them to take home for the family dinner. It is a successful
program. With over 8,025 units operating in the United States, Walgreens has
the potential to become the most disruptive force in food retailing in 50
years. Walgreens with its modular mid-sized foot-print is garnering customers
from both restaurants and grocery stores.

Consumers Want Easy to Prepare Meals and Meal Components

The
grocerant niche continues to grow with companies like Central Market,
Whole Foods, Wegmans and 7 Eleven entering the fresh prepared better for you
space. Meal time is now becoming a time of convenient meal participation,
with differentiation and individualization for the entire family.
Safeway with its lifestyle stores are heading in the right direction however
the stores are so large consumers are forced to spend more time in them than
they want.

More often than not the multi-generational family today is multi-ethnic. Creating
a demand for more varied menu flavors and additional cooking skill set that is
simply does not exist today. Grocery stores, Convenience Stores, Restaurants
and Chain Drug Stores are all selling Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared
food. Is your focus family dinning? Are you selling
meals or meal components for Take-Out, delivery or Take-Away? Outside Eyes can
propel inside results.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

If success does leave clues, the clue of the year is Outside Eye’s can Drive Inside Profits. Creative marketing ideas and brand messaging
often run into opposition. Many a good idea has been veto by over reacting
C-level executives in legacy food retailers.
You know those executives who claim to be protecting the brand that are instead
isolating the brand and practicing brand protectionism of the 1970’s, 1980’s,
and 1990’s. Have you ever worked for one of them? Are you one of them?

Regular readers of Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru’s
blog know that brand protectionism has no place in successful retail food
marketing today. Chipotle’s “Farmed and Dangerous,” miniseries that can be seen on
Hulu.com is billed as a “Chipotle original series,” is not brand protectionism
series. Rather it is an example of
effective brand messaging. A creative
from of brand messaging that could well prove a disruptive new avenue of
branded food marketing.

This
was not Chipotle’s first volley at non-traditional brand messaging
communication. Previously Chipotle released
two short marketing messaging films, called Back to the Start and Scarecrow. The goal of each was too clearly edify
Chipotle’s consumer focused “better for you” brand positioning. Collectively they tout themes that echo Chipotle’s
core on-going focus; sustainable agriculture, and the humane treatment of
animals used in food retail.

Targeting
18 to 44 year olds this from of messaging is not about short term product
placement or sales but clearly targeting brand edification and long term food
“values integration” and adoption. Sex sells and Farmed and Dangerous has a
cast that is very easy on any eyes with sexual innuendo’s that will bring viewer
back for more than one episode. Isn’t that the goal? What does your Brand Stand
For? Who are you telling and where? With
restaurant customer migration continuing to gain momentum, might it be time to
refocus your messaging and avenues of messaging distribution?

Chipotle
Mexican Grill knows what it stands for and is confident it’s consumers, future
consumers will too. Success does leave clues and by all legacy metric’s
Chipotle Mexican Grill is preforming much better than its peers and industry
over the past five years in: New Unit Growth, Same Store Sales, Customer Count
Growth, and Brand Messaging. Outside Eye’s just might be able to help your
brand as well.

Visit:
www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand
while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or
twitter.com/grocerant

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Cooking from scratch, not today,
consumers are time starved and cooking skill deprived. Thus the rise of The
Grocerant niche targeting the time-starved consumers, not with ingredients
rather with Ready-2-Eat or Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food components that
can be bundled into a meal.

Think about how you shop for most meal
preparation needs. You might buy a rotisserie chicken, pick up something at the
salad bar and maybe an appetizer at the deli service case. Those are components
vs. buying uncooked chicken, a head of lettuce and then having to clean, cut,
season and then assemble and/or cook.

Traditionally
meal components that are fresh prepared could be found in grocery stores in the
deli / lifestyle section, C-stores in the prepared food area and prepackaged,
Ready-2-Eat items and in restaurants under the To-go, takeout or Take-Away, or
delivery section of the menu or on the website."

For
the consumer it is about ease of meal preparation, quality and family meal
customization vs. time, cooking and cooking skill set. If you’re company does not think they are in
the grocerant niche it might be time to consider it. Consumers do not care where dinner comes from
they do care that everyone in the family eats and is happy. Grocerant Niche
fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat makes meal time a happy time.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Restaurant
customer migration is being documented month after month in Nation’s Restaurant
News with regular reports by Black Box Intelligence focusing on both Same-Store
Sales and Traffic. Black Box reported
that in November traffic at US restaurants declined 0.09 percent, in December
they reported a decline of 4.5 percent, and in January a decline of 2.2
percent. Uneven as these numbers are restaurant customers are not all on diets
or eating less according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru they are in
fact “eating fresh prepared food somewhere else; at new Non-Traditional points
of fresh food distribution aka at grocerants.

Restaurant consumers are dynamic not static. Restaurants must change with consumer or risk
losing consumer relevance. In a recently released study titled The Why? Behind The Buy found “65% of
Millennials say losing this phone or computer would have a greater negative
impact on their daily routine than losing their car.” That is a dynamic shift in consumer
mindset. Are you willing to give
up your car? Soon Millennials will out spend Generation X and the Boomer Generation.
Is your company prepared for the customer of today?

That same study found that young shoppers are
adapting to new food trends including buying Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh
prepared food. That is something all food retailers need to pay particular
attention too. In fact that study found that in the past 30 days: “
Bought Home Prepared Foods GenY / Mellennials 78% Gen X only
68%, and Boomers 60%.” The battle for
share of stomach is taking place not just in the drive-thru it is occurring everywhere
fresh food is sold.

Another study conducted by Technomic found “Fifty-seven percent of consumers say
they have purchased prepared foods from c-stores, while approximately one-third
of consumers who visit c-stores for fresh-food items purchase them at least
once a week from these stores.” Does your company need Outside Eye’s to help
you drive Inside results? Foodservice
Solutions® can do just that. Have you
been following SBUX?

Retail food merchant extraordinaire Howard Schultz,
president and CEO of Starbucks stated he sees a “seismic shift” to online
shopping. So concerned was Schultz he has reorganized Starbucks
leadership team. His concern was based on retail research indicators (and
I think SBUX sales numbers) pointing to the fact that legacy brick and mortar
retail stores locations are at an “inflection point” in losing traffic to
e-commerce shopping. So, just what does that mean to your brand, your
sales?

The battle for customer’s hearts, minds, and
wallets is not between QSR’s any longer.
The battle is about a battle for share
of stomach. Legacy QSR’s and restaurants must revalue brand touch points
edifying contemporary relevance or continue risk losing customers. Channel
blurring is not in the minds-eye of the consumer. Channel blurring is
only in the minds-eye of Neanderthal brand mangers that do not understand the
concept of share of stomach. Proactive brands are producing
positive same store sales and positive customer counts. Do you need
Outside Eyes?

Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while
creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or you can learn more at Facebook.com/Steven
Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter

Baskin-Robbins is driving awareness to
it successful retail stores best known for offering 31 flavors by introducing
its first full line of cold treats for grocery stores. Can’t wait here is what
you will find:

“Three-packs of jamoca almond fudge and
mint chocolate chip ice cream bars and 14-ounce cups of ice cream in flavors
such as gold medal ribbon and pralines ‘n cream are rolling out in supermarkets
in California and should reach Boston’s Shaw's stores in the next few weeks.”

Baskin-Robbins was founded California
in 1953 and has a strong presence on the West Coast, and currently operates 455
stores. With over 2,465 Baskin-Robbins stores in the United States and more
than 4,600 in other countries entering the frozen food court will drive brand
awareness and extend consumers contemporized relevance.

“Ice cream is a category used by all age
groups and all demographic groups,” said John Fassak, vice president of
business development of Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., the parent company of
Baskin-Robbins. “Our goal is to have these products available across the
country and build more of an affinity for the brand.”

Consumers are not static they are
dynamic brands must be as well. A new
entity was form by Dunkin Brands called Boardwalk Frozen Treats it was “established as a separate entity to
market, distribute, and sell Baskin-Robbins products for grocery stores through
an exclusive license agreement. The company is led by Tom Delaplane, a former
Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream executive.” Success does leave clues and Dunkin is on
the right aisle.

Visit:
www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand
while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or
twitter.com/grocerant

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Restaurant industry success is a four
step process according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ Steven
Johnson. Those four steps are Build,
Measure, Learn, and Repeat.

Restaurant success is determined by
consumer’s choice. Year after year one
company continues to show up at the top of the list of consumers, that company
is Papa Murphy’s. Papa Murphy’s focus on evolving consumer preferences for “better
for you” fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat aka Grocerant niche food is
but one aspect of their success.

Blending just the right mix of
Ready-2-Eat Salads with Heat-N-Eat made fresh from scratch pizza and deserts
items Papa Murphy’s has found menu equilibrium. Papa Murphy’s ability to build,
measure, learn, and repeat industry leading fresh prepared metric of food price + service + quality
time and time again places them in a unique position of leading the
industry.

Once again this Quarter “Data from
Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics (CBM) program, which surveys consumers about
their most recent restaurant visits, confirms that top-rated restaurant
concepts continue to be chains that deliver strong value on high-quality food
and beverage.” The winner according to customers was Papa Murphy’s. Here is
what CBM said:

“Papa Murphy's Pizza earned the highest marks of all chains
measured on consumers' overall satisfaction; three-fourths (76 percent) of
consumers say that their last visit was "excellent." Consumers' ratings
of the chain on other attributes signal that they perceive Papa Murphy's to
value both their time and money, indicating that the chain offers very good
portion sizes for the price paid and a highly satisfactory speed of visit. The
chain also received the highest ratings from consumers on its ability to
provide value through high-quality menu items.”

When your consumer move, restaurant
need to move with them. Papa Murphy’s
has done that and done it well. They do
it year after year following four simple steps: Build, Measure, Learn, and
Repeat. Consumers are dynamic not static
your brand must be dynamic as well.

Interested in
learning how the 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while
creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization contact us via Email us at: info@FoodserviceSolutions.us
or visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us Facebook.com/Steven
Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant, or twitter.com/grocerant

Friday, February 14, 2014

This
Valentine’s Day we witnessed the undercurrents of food customer migration reach
new heights. Non-traditional fresh
prepared food retailers around the world are offering consumers a choice to
Dine-In while Dining-Out. They are promoting restaurant quality chef prepared
Ready-2-Eat Meals at a fraction of the price customers would pay if dining at a
restaurant. The successful growth of the
grocerant niche is now ratcheting-up competitive offerings challenging the very
core of the restaurant customer mindset. .

Roses are red, violets are blue
staying at home can be very cozy for two. Wegmans offered a “Romantic Dinner
for Two” either Pan-Seared Strip Steaks or roasted lobster tails with Shallot-Thyme
Butter that can be cozy for two it’s a Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared meal offering.

Wegmans offers restaurant quality
meal components that can be bundled into a perfect meal for Dining-In while
Dinning Out. Wegmans has extended its
competitive offering with its Next Door Bar and Grill, its own
restaurant. Next Door Bar and Grill offers All-natural,
sustainable and organic ingredients from our store are specially selected for
you by our chefs and prepared in a manner that's delicious and healthy. You can
get it To-Go as well.

Eatzi’s
hot, Ready-2-Eat Meals are handcrafted by trained chef’s, filled with delicious fresh prepared food
with no work required in planning for a special night out. Eatzi’s has extraordinary fresh prepared food
offerings. With a focus on meal components that can be bundled and customized into
a personalized at home cozy meal.
Eatzi’s offers Steaks, Chicken, Salads, Seafood, vegetables and deserts
simply too many to list. In Dallas Dinning-In can be Dining-Out with Eatzi’s.

Texas
based Pinkie’s Liquor Stores are in the restaurant quality chef prepared
Dine-In while Dinning-Out fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat mode as well. Pinkie’s is offering a fully cooked Prime Rib
Dinner with flowers and beverages as well.
We found these other offering from around the globe:

“Marks
and Spencer is offering Dine-In for Two for £20 for that you get a “Starter”,
main course, side dish and desert for two, plus chocolate box and a bottle of
cava. Here is a sample offing if ala carte Scallops, £5.49; rump steak with
peppercorn sauce, £9.99; Gastropub chunky chips, £2.19; Valentine twin hearts,
£3.79; Strawberry and Champagne Souffle (£3.49 for two), Prestige Rosado Cava,
£9.49 box of chocolate hearts, £1.50. That is a saving of : £12.15”

“Morrisons
is offering a Meal for two: £9. You get a main course, two side dishes and a
dessert from its M Bistro range.” Here is an example of what you can get:
Chicken stuffed with brie and spinach; potato and thyme rosti, trio of green
vegetables and a panna cotta and raspberry compote. Total saving: £3.50”

In Minnesota next
year you will be able to Dine-In at Lunds and Byerly’s Grocer which is evolving into Lunds and Byerly’s
Kitchen. There will be a 143-seat restaurant with wine and
beer bar that will “offer stone oven pizzas, burgers and seasonal surf and turf
entrees.” Customers will “order and pay for meals with iPads found at each
table. There will also be a patio and 24-seat cafe.” While dining customers can order grocery from
the iPads and pick it up when done. If
success does leave clues the Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food
niche just may be a very competitive clue.

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you
identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or
a brand leveraging integration strategy. Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche since
1991

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Alice May Brock said: “Tomatoes and oregano make it
Italian, wine and tarragon make it French, sour cream makes it Russian, lemon
and cinnamon make it Greek, soy sauce makes it Chinese, garlic makes it good.”

Convenient meal
participation, differentiation and individualization; are each hallmarks of the
Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared grocerant niche. That is the recipe for retail food success in
2014.

Meal components allow customers
to select from Italian, American, French, Russian or Greek and utilize the
components at home any way they like.
The new American meal can be a composite of any prepared food components
that the individual may want and they can mix and pair them any way as
well.

The United States is a melting
pot of people from all over the world, with different cultures, traditions and
flavor preferences. The new American
meal is a melting pot of flavor and choice.
Meal components that can be mix and matched for home consumption are
integral to retail success.

Fresh prepared and portable
Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat foods are now available for all comers and can be found
at Convenience stores, Drug stores, Grocery stores, Restaurants, Mobile trucks
all just waiting for the taking. When
developing new menu items do you consider where the food will be consumed?

Consumers have been exposed to a
plethora of flavors and have not the time to master the skill of cooking
each. The rapidly growing grocerant
trend is empowering the consumer to establish new customs and traditions in
eating better, more flavorful food. The
Grocerant niche is about convenient
meal participation,
differentiation
and individualization.

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us
specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you
identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or
a brand leveraging integration strategy. Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Wayzata, Minnesota are you Ready-2-Eat? Lunds and Byerly’s grocery
stores a staple in the Twin City area is evolving with consumers and the food
industry is entering the Grocerant Niche.
On March 6thLund Food Holdings
will open Lunds and Byerly’s Kitchen. This new Grocerant Niche concept store
will have a restaurant, prepared food stations and “tailored selections of
groceries.”

There
will be a 143-seat restaurant with wine and beer bar that will “offer stone
oven pizzas, burgers and seasonal surf and turf entrees.” Customers will “order
and pay for meals with iPads found at each table. There will also be a patio
and 24-seat cafe.”

In
what was once called the deli section now a Grocerant prepared food area, customers
will find “made-to-order sandwiches, store-made sushi, hot entrees and soups,
and a salad bar. Caribou Coffee will roast beans in store.”

Grocery
shopping can be fun, easy and a time saver.
In the grocery portion will feature a prepared meat station, cheese
counter, olive bar, as well as a limited assortment of fresh, frozen and
shelf-stable products. “Customers can place orders from Lunds and Byerly’s full
grocery offerings in the restaurant or online for pick-up at lockers in the
store’s parking lot.”

Lunds
and Byerly’s has learned a lot from their successful catering program selling
such items as:

Giving consumers what they want and how they want it is one thing that
Lunds and Byerly’s is very good at.
Evolving from grocery store to grocerant will require constant
learning. I for one have no doubt that
this concept will allow customers to create their own price point every time
they walk in the door for both Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food.

Visit:
www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand
while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or
twitter.com/grocerant

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru’s 2010 white paper on
the growth of Hand Held Food for Immediate Consumption received acclaim, was on
target but never predicted the growth and impact that Food trucks would have on
the restaurant sector or the growth of Hand Held Food Truck Food.

Researchers at IBISWorld are predicting that Food Trucks are
now a 1 Billion Dollar industry on their own and will soon represent between 3
and 4 present of total restaurant revenue. The Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh
prepared food sector aka the Grocerant niche continues to create new points of
fresh food distribution and at a billion dollars a year in sales. Food Trucks are clearly one segment consumers
are flocking too enjoying the sense of discovery, authenticity, and flavor.

The ability of location mobility and relocation by day-part
creates a particular advantage for food trucks.
They have the ability to follow consumers from office spaces, weekend
community events or late night college hangouts.

Food trucks have in many cases leveraged technology to
out-market legacy restaurants including QSR’s and Fast Casual Restaurants. Many food trucks post locations, new menu
items, and special offers on social media creating an under-ground buzz (of
word of mouth) with office influencers and Millennials creating a customized,
personalized invitation to dine.

Customer brand activation begins with an invitation. Food trucks understand brand activation that
is another reason they have reached 1 billion in sales. Successful brand
management requires an inclusive strategy, executed with consumer focused
innovative tactics. Non-traditional points of fresh food distribution continue
to grow and garner share. Success does leave clues and the food truck sector
has picked up many. Have you? Are you prepared to compete in an
Omni-channel retail world?

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us specializes in outsourced business
development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food
retail segment opportunities or a brand leveraging integration strategy.
Foodservice Solutions of Tacoma WA is the global
leader in the Grocerant niche since 1991

1.Symbolism. Why you are there! The most successful brands are inclusive include values greater than
themselves. A lifestyle, a philosophy, an emotion a point in time.

2. A story. Most major brands have a story. Examples: if you like Ford vehicles, you
might be familiar with the story of Henry Ford or if you love your Nikes, you
probably know how the Nike swoosh logo was created.

3. A track record. When your business is first starting out, don't fool yourself into believing
that your marketing efforts are 'brand building' efforts. They're not
because to build a real brand, you have to have an extensive track record with
consumers.

4. Trust. When you've consistently delivered for your customers long enough, you'll gain
the type of trust that many brands have. Case in point: a friend of mine always
reminds people that he won't buy an automobile that isn't a BMW. He's had a
good experience with his and trusts so much in the company that he doesn't
believe there's a better-made car.

5. Expectation. When a consumer chooses a product or service because of brand association, he or she
is buying an expectation. Perhaps it's the expectation that the branded product
is of higher quality or that the service will be provided in a more efficient
manner.

6. Differentiation. Expectation is often borne of differentiation. Many brands offer products and services
that are commodities but they're successful in developing some differentiation
for their products and services that consumers are sold on.

7. Imitators. Imitation
is the sincerest of flattery and you're probably not a
'brand' until you have competitors trying to copy you.

8. Market leadership. Top brands are usually looked at as leaders in the markets they compete in.

9. Adaptability. The best brands are flexible and capable of reshaping and reinventing themselves and their
messages over time. Coca-Cola is a good example of a brand that has never
abandoned its core product but has evolved its message over time to keep up
with changes in the marketplace and society at large.

10. A strong marketing presence. Although it's nice to believe that you can market yourself for free on Facebook and Twitter, the
reality is that brands aren't advertising on television and radio because
they're dumb. Building and maintaining brand equity requires awareness and
contemporized relevance.For international corporate presentations,
educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson at www.FoodserviceSolutions.usHis
extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand /
product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for
all.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Have you heard of the Grocerant Niche? Non-traditional fresh food
retailers flying under the radar are finding stellar success in fresh food
sales, pleasing customers while edifying their brand.

Ikea's a Swedish home furniture retailer is
selling Swedish Ready-2-Eat meatballs
and smoked salmon at its cafeteria, as well as hot dogs and frozen yogurt at
its to-go food counter at the European flavors add a level of mystique and
foodie adventurism. Ikea’s food sales top 2 billion a year is sales. How is
that?

Looking for a fresh
prepared frozen yogurt, try Costco. You
can get yogurt in chocolate, vanilla or a swirled combo with both chocolate and
vanilla at Costco. Fresh prepared Pizza
whole or by the slice and Costco’s famed Ready-2-Eat Chicken Bake garner loyal
customers with prices that drive local QSR’s to wonder how they do it?
Fast! Costco reported that it sold 112
Million Hot Dogs and 65 million rotisserie chickens in it’s last quarter.

In addition as a standalone concept volume
speaks success and Costco's director of operations for the food court and
bakery, Bob Collins recently stated “ Despite the low prices, it sees a
"modest profit" from food court sales.” The last report public stated that the Costco
“food court” sales are over 1.3 billion a year.

The answer is YES
Non-traditional retailers are finding success selling Ready-2-Eat and
Heat-N-Eat fresh and prepared food all contributing to the success of the
booming grocerant niche. Is your product or brand ready for a non-traditional
outlet?

Outside eyes can deliver top line sales and
bottom line profits. Invite Foodservice Solutions® to provide brand and product positioning
assistance or a grocerant program assessment. www.FoodserviceSolutions.us Since 1991
Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the
Grocerant Niche.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Apple,
Microsoft, Boeing, and JC Penny’s corporate office have long established
corporate dining rooms and cafeterias.
Even today visitors gush at the quality visceral display and meal
options employees can avail themselves of. Today more and more those options
include meals and meal components targeted for home consumption.

Employees
working late, or simply working long hours on a project are more and more
stopping on their way out of the office by either the corporate dining room or
cafeteria and picking up a meal to take home and feed the family with. Here are a few trends from 2014
Trendcorporate that they will be seeing:

Allergy
sensitivities: Gluten-free offerings were hot in 2013, and will continue to be
popular. Although few people are actually allergic to gluten, many people
perceive gluten-free choices as healthy. Non-wheat options, such as rice
bowls, quinoa, and buckwheat are popular, because choosing gluten-free does not
necessarily mean avoiding carbs.

Vegan
and Vegetarian Choices: More consumers are looking for meatless options, at
least some of the time. With the popularity of “Meatless Mondays,”
flexitarians and others looking to make healthy choices will seek out these
options.

Fresh
and local: Locally-grown produce and local sourcing of meat continue to be
important to employees. As vegetables take center stage in a variety of
meals, the variety and quality of vegetables become more important.

Healthy
Eating Backlash: Not everyone is looking to make healthy choices, so full
fat options will remain popular. To makes those indulgences worthwhile,
some employees will be looking for real cheese, fresh breads, and other “real”
ingredients.

New
flavors: Trend experts suggest that diners will continue to be interested in
ethnic and street foods, particularly in sauces and dips. Pickled
and sour foods, such as Kim chi and other pickled vegetables, are expected to
become more popular in the workplace.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Fresh prepared food Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat continues
driving top line growth and bottom line profits in every sector or retail food
today. The convergence of non-traditional points of distribution, an evolving
grocery fresh prepared sector and lingering economic conditions have created
the perfect opportunity for retail food brand expansions into fresh. The key to
that success is found under the
Grocerant Niche umbrella, filled with Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared
food.

Companies need to develop
a platform that allows consumer focused meal co-creation. Those companies need to target the car, at
the office or at home consumers with fresh prepared Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat
food. That’s where brands are winning the hearts and minds of today’s retail
food consumer today.

However some of those
companies have lost the pulse of the consumer, the industry and customer
relevance. I bet you know who or can
name several others. Here they are
Foodservice Solutions® Six

Clues for Fresh Food Sales Success:

Visceral Presentation

Meal Component Bundling

Individualized portions

Convenient Location for Pick-Up or Take-Away

Time Saving Consumer Focused Solution

Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more Tacoma, WA based Foodservice
Solutions, has extensive experience working with and as a multi-unit restaurant operator,
consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Foodservice
Solutions® Grocerant Guru during a recent presentation stated “digital visceral attractiveness equals
contemporary consumer relevance.” In 2009 Walmart began installing and testing
end-caps with video food product highlights drawing attention to what is down
the aisle and promoting select branded products. Today in most every Walmart
store you can find digital visceral signage except in the deli? Why?

McDonald’s constantly evolving has been testing digital
signage. Looking for new ways to “increase foot traffic, communicate
broader menu options and boost average customer spends, hundreds of U.K. according
to The Linney Group.

Finding
initial success the digital signage test
continues to grow in scope. The McDonald’s U.K. digital signage displays
have as reported provided a sales lift by as much as 11 percent on some items
featured, while lifting average transactions amounts according to the case
study by ComQi.

McDonald's
U.K. also looked at digital signage options for behind the counter, specifically
“at horizontal rows of menu displays. With a larger, increasingly diverse menu,
the chain saw digital menu boards as a way to increase promotions of premium,
higher-margin items without adding more static signage.”

According
to ComQi the data coming back from the field suggested the digital displays had
a positive impact on sales figures. The testing was done against a set of
control sites with similar size, footfall, customer profile and sales figures,
to get a clean read on the impact of digital in the stores, the case study
said. The results indicated that content on screen positively affected purchase
patterns.

McDonald’s and Walmart both understand
that foodservice visceral attractiveness equals contemporary consumer relevance
in all retail channels. Consumers are connected at home, at work and in the car
they are viscerally alert, don’t keep them in the dark.

Visit:
www.FoodserviceSolutions.us if you are interested in learning how
Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand
while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation
and individualization or learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or
twitter.com/grocerant